Enhancing cervical cancer knowledge among women of reproductive age: a dialogue-based community health education intervention in rural Kisumu County, Kenya.

BACKGROUND: Cervical cancer is a leading cause of cancer death among women of reproductive age despite being treatable if it is diagnosed early. Early diagnosis is possible through regular screening through the public health system. However, screening rates remain low in many low- and middle-income countries, including Kenya, where the screening rate currently stands at 16-18%. The low screening rates are attributed to, among other factors, low knowledge about cervical cancer and the available screening options among women of reproductive age. The current study evaluated the effectiveness of dialogue-based community health education by trained community health volunteers (CHVs) in improving cervical cancer knowledge among women of reproductive age (WRA) in rural Kisumu County. METHODS: This was a longitudinal pre- and post-intervention study with a control group. The knowledge of women of reproductive age was assessed at baseline in both the intervention and control groups, followed by dialogue-based community health education in the intervention arm. A final end-line knowledge assessment was performed. The scores at baseline and at the end of the study were compared to assess changes in knowledge due to the intervention. The proportion of WRA with improved knowledge was also calculated, and statistical significance was considered at p ≤ 0.05. RESULTS: There was no significant difference between the participants in the two arms, except for the level of education (p = 0.002). The knowledge of the WRA in the intervention arm improved significantly (p < 0.001) following the dialogue-based educational intervention by the trained CHVs. None of the demographic characteristics were associated with knowledge. CONCLUSION: Dialogue-based educational intervention significantly improved the knowledge of the WRA in the intervention arm, showing its potential to address the knowledge gap in the community.

Improving cervical cancer screening rates among women of reproductive age in rural Kisumu County through dialogue-based community health education.

Background: Low- and middle-income countries continue to bear the burden of cervical cancer partly due to low uptake of screening services. Interventions through the media to increase demand for screening services among women of reproductive age (WRA) have not yielded the desired results mainly due to the unidirectional flow of information. The current study evaluated the use of a dialogue-based approach to community health education to improve the demand for cervical cancer screening services among WRA in rural sub-counties in Kisumu County. Methods: This was a mixed-method longitudinal pre and post-intervention study with a control group. The self-reported screening rates were assessed at baseline in both the intervention and control groups followed by dialogue-based community health education in the intervention arm. This was followed by endline screening rates evaluation. The screening rates at baseline and endline were compared followed by a focused group discussion among the leaders of the community units to discuss the contributors to the observed screening rates. The proportion of change in the screening rates was calculated and statistical significance was assessed at p ≤ 0.05. Results: There was a significant increase in the number of WRA reporting to have been screened at the endline in the intervention arm (p = 0.007). The number of those being screened due to the health talks conducted by the Community health volunteers also increased significantly at the endline (p = 0.036). The barriers included; not knowing where to get screened (p < 0.0001), violation of ones' privacy (p < 0.0001), lack of spousal support (p < 0.0001), waiting time at the facility (p = 0.001), attitude of the health providers (p < 0.0001) and cost of transport to the facility (p < 0.0001). Conclusion: The use of dialogue-based community health education has the potential to improve the uptake of cervical cancer screening services and identify the additional barriers as experienced by the WRA targeted for screening.